ACT IV - Scene I Quiz — Hamlet

What does Gertrude tell Claudius that Hamlet did?

• Threatened to kill Claudius
• Killed Polonius behind the arras
• Escaped from Elsinore Castle
• Attacked Rosencrantz and Guildenstern

How does Gertrude describe Hamlet's state of mind when he killed Polonius?

• Calm and deliberate
• Sorrowful and reluctant
• Mad as the sea and wind when both contend
• Fearful and paranoid

What is Claudius's primary concern after learning of Polonius's death?

• Avenging Polonius's murder
• Comforting Gertrude
• Protecting his reputation and power
• Punishing Hamlet publicly

What does Claudius compare Hamlet's unchecked madness to?

• A wild animal on the loose
• A foul disease allowed to spread
• A storm at sea
• A fire consuming a house

What does Claudius order Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to do?

• Guard Gertrude's chamber
• Find Hamlet and bring Polonius's body to the chapel
• Arrest Hamlet and lock him in the dungeon
• Carry a message to Laertes

What does Gertrude say Hamlet does after killing Polonius?

• He flees the castle immediately
• He threatens Gertrude
• He weeps for what is done
• He hides the body in the arras

What metaphor does Claudius use for the spread of rumors about Polonius's death?

• A plague traveling from city to city
• A cannon firing poisoned shot across the world's diameter
• A river flooding its banks
• A wildfire burning through dry grass

Which of these events actually happened in this chapter?

What does "brainish apprehension" mean in the context of this scene?

• Intelligent understanding
• Fearful anticipation of danger
• Headstrong, irrational perception
• Careful investigation

When Claudius says the deed must be "countenance[d] and excuse[d]," what does "countenance" mean?

• To face directly and confront
• To approve or give favorable appearance to
• To count the cost of
• To describe someone's facial expression

What does "pith" mean in "let it feed even on the pith of life"?

• The outer shell or covering
• The essential core or vital substance
• The bitter taste of something
• The final moment of existence